Snow white and the seven
by Tshk
Summary: Kari, 8 guys, surprise pairings... You had better read and find out! Based off of the story of snow white but twists like nothing else T rating for violent content in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**Snow white and the seven…. Wait a second…**

No, that's not what this story is. But it's similar. It is an interesting story, but also somewhat different from the fairytale we all know and… love? Well, I don't love it. It somewhat bothers me sometimes. Some random prince shows up while she is singing into a well, she runs away screaming, a freaky witch comes then she gets kissed and HAPPILY EVER AFTER! Well, that's the cartoon version anyway, and the real story of snow white is even MORE WEIRD!

In any case… this is called:

**"Snow white and the seven…"**

_Disclaimer: I don't own_.

**Chapter one:**_ The duchess and the fairy_

This story starts out in an old country manor in the middle of a beautiful country in fairy-land. It is quite near to the castle where the royal family lives, and in fact, inside lived a duke! This manor has many levels, many rooms and acres of gardens and beautiful places to walk and stroll. Many maids, workers, cooks and servants are needed to run such a big mansion, but it is run, and quite well. Here is where the story takes place.

In this mansion lived a duke, as I mentioned before. This duke was a very good friend of the royal family and would quite often sit at the king's own table or at times he would even go hunting with him when the season was right. He was a good, kind duke and was married well to a beautiful duchess. In fact, they had the most splendid love story! But that is for another time. The duchess eventually gave birth to a son and then years later to a daughter. But to the dismay many, and especially the duke, the duchess died during the birth of her daughter. This daughter was named Kari. Kari began to grow into a sweet young girl. Everyone loved her, even all the workers and servants at the manor. The duke, of course, loved her the most as every day she would grow more and more to look like her mother. Her brother, Tai, was a constant companion, but over the years, he developed a disease and died. This was very hard on the family, and the Duke became more and more distressed. When Kari was six, the Duke thought it was best to try to find her a mother figure for her since he wasn't quite sure he could raise her quite the right way!

So, the Duke came home on her seventh birthday with a beautiful woman of the court that he had met at the castle. Kari loved her right away, probably because she adored beautiful faces, and this woman was beyond a doubt, quite beautiful. Two years later, the Duke married her. Things went well over all, and Kari continued to be the sweetest to everyone, including her step mother.

As the years went on, what Kari _didn't_ know was that her stepmother, whose name was Patrice, grew to hate her. Patrice saw what a gorgeous girl Kari was growing up to be, and out of her vanity, she grew jealous. When Kari turned fourteen her father died of a sudden heart attack. Of course, there were many deaths in her family already, but all the other times, she was so very young, and since she had grown so close with her father, his death nearly killed her. But, being the mature and sweet girl she was, Kari stayed alive and encouraged all the people in her household. All, that is, except Patrice. Finally, now that Kari's father was gone, and she was the leader of the household, she turned Kari into a maid and sent her to work as… well, pretty much a slave to her will.

And this is where we really start the story; on the eve of Kari's seventeenth birthday, in the chambers of Duchess Patrice.

Patrice glided up to her vanity and opened up the drawer as she sat down on her cushioned stool. She paused a moment to stare at herself and admire in the mirror and then gazed down at her hands which were now inside the small drawer. She was fingering a small glass box, almost hesitating to remove it from the drawer. She took one more glance around the room, making sure not a soul was in it and then finally placed the small glass box on top of her vanity. The small box began to glow in the light that then shown on it. A small, sinister smiled crept up on her cheek as it often times did when she took out this box, and she opened it.

Upon opening the box, a small figure from inside stepped out. It was a glowing fairy with beautiful shiny wings. His face was young and handsome, but his eyes and wings showed age. His hair was light and clean and almost seemed to float in a non existent breeze. And his eyes, they were the brightest blue, but they were filled with hunger and with fatigue. He stared up at her expectantly. This duchess had definitely had herself a rare catch of a fairy, for he was not an ordinary fairy off a flower; he was special.

"What is it you desire?" he finally asked with a weary tone.

"You know what I wish to know." She gleefully folded her hands. "I just need to hear it from you."

"Ask me a question and I will answer." He yawned and leaned back against the glass.

The duchess leaned in toward the small fairy. "Tell me, fairy, oh fairy of beauty, who is the most beautiful in the world?"

"You mean, besides me?"

"Don't toy with me." She glared and leaned in closer, almost touching her nose to him.

"Alright, fine." He rolled his eyes.

"Tell me, fairy, who is the most beautiful in all the land?" she asked once more. The fairy nodded as he thought hard about his answer. Though every night she would pull him out and ask him this question, and every night he would give the same answer, he felt a small change in the way things were. He sighed a moment and looked over toward the open window that was near the vanity. From outside, he could hear the soft and pure voice of Kari who was singing to herself as she finished up her night's chores. He turned his gaze back at Patrice, fearing to give his answer.

"My lady, you know for years you have held me in this box, and for years I have in all honesty told you how beautiful you are, but now, as you know, is the eve of a certain girl's seventeenth birthday; a girl who has grown in beauty inside and out." The fairy could see Patrice's face begin to rage as he went on. "Her heart and soul mixed with song and topped with her outward beauty have now come to outweigh you by far, and I am unable to continue to call you the most beautiful woman in the land." At those final words Patrice seized him in her hand, threw him back into the box, and after shutting and locking him in her drawer, she ran out of her quarters in determination.

Outside in the courtyard was Kari who was quietly singing to herself a song. Many things were going through her head as she was taking down the hanging clothes from the clothes line. She was thinking about her father and her brother, and how she missed the birthdays she used to have with a family that loved her. But not once did she begin to think bitter thoughts. She knew that the treatment from her stepmother was wrong, but she bore it well and decided that she lived just as good a life as anyone else did. As she hummed she leaned over the well and stared at her reflection in the water. Yes, she knew she had grown so much older, and inside she knew she wanted to break free and live her own life.

"Oh well." She finally said aloud and laughed at herself. "Who am I fooling?" she laughed again and plopped herself down on a bench that was beautifully set beside the well. "I'm forever trapped in the clutches of my 'evil' stepmother." She sarcastically remarked to herself. Of course she had no idea that there was someone listening who immediately decided to interrupt.

"Evil stepmother?" the deep voice of a young man started her from behind. Kari whirled around in fear and excitement to see, yes, a young man sitting on the top of the stone wall that curled around the premises of the manor.

"Who are you?" she demanded, grabbing a clothespin and holding it up threateningly. Well, it was really the only thing around she could grab. He chuckled.

"Calm down! You may not know me, but I know who you are quite well!" he hopped down off the wall and began to walk towards her. With each step the young man took closer, Kari backed away a few more, holding up her clothespin, ready to attack.

"Stay away!" she warned, not sure what to do if he didn't. The young man smiled comfortingly which made her almost let down her guard.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Kari." He assured her and held open his hand for her to lay the clothespin in. He was young, probably around 20 or 21. He had dark black hair and deep colored eyes and his face was quite handsome. Kari knew there was something good about him; something noble. Barely knowing what she was doing, Kari calmly let him walk up to her and she slowly set the pin in his hand.

"Was that so hard?" he smiled again and winked. Kari began to feel butterflies fly around in her veins as he walked right up close to her, nearly a foot away from her face.

"Who are you?" she asked once more, quietly.

"My name is Ken, our fathers were good friends."

"Our fathers? You knew my father?" she began to get excited and her pulse doubled.

"Yes, quite well, in fact. I saw him a lot! But I never saw you." he stared down at her, obviously admiring her beauty. "My name is Ken. And your name is Kari." He winked again.

Kari suddenly stepped back in awe. "Ken? KEN? You are the prince!" Once she realized who she was actually talking to, Kari lost all courage and ran off toward the house, even leaving all her laundry behind.

"Don't go!" he called after her. "Wait!"

But she was already gone and into the house which, really wasn't all that safe for her anyway… especially considering what her stepmother was planning and all.

Of course, you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find that out. Please read and review!! I have such a cool plan for this story, so please keep up!!! The next chapter will be much longer.

Tshk


	2. Chapter 2

**Snow white and the seven…**

**Chapter two**: _…bachelors_

Patrice scowled as she peered through her window and saw the young prince staring up at Kari's window. Jealousy was pulsing through her veins. She then turned around to face the man whom she had been speaking with just moments before. He was short but very menacing-looking. He had dark hair and a dark beard that almost covered his entire face. He was scowling as well, but only because that's what state his face was in most of the time.

"Now," Patrice cleared her throat. "Do you understand what I am ordering you to do?" she eyed him carefully.

"Yes, your grace." He bowed. "She will be dead before suppertime tomorrow." And then he left without another word. Patrice watched him leave with a small smile. "We'll see who is the most beautiful, now!"

That next day, Kari followed that same man into the woods.

"Why must we go so far out into the woods to find these flowers?" Kari finally asked. It was unusual for her stepmother to send her to pick flowers, especially ones so far out! Perhaps that was why she needed one of the guards to go with her.

"The flowers are this way." The short man pointed down a hill.

"Alright!" she smiled and nodded. "What is your name, sir? I've seen you several times, but this is my first time actually talking to you."

The man hesitated before speaking. "My name is no matter to you." He finally said.

"Very well then..." She brushed a long loch of brown hair out of her face. "It is still nice for you to come with me!"

The short man sighed and watched her start to walk down the hill. He had his hand tightly gripped around a small dagger inside his jacket, but he couldn't bring himself to take it out. Suddenly, a giant guilt bomb fell on him like a rock and he called out to her, almost in tears.

"WAIT!"

Kari stopped and turned around, a little worried, to see the man standing there, sweating like the sun. "Is everything alright?" she walked up to him and laid a hand on his shaking shoulder. "Is there danger?" she looked around fearfully.

"My lady…" he croaked and reached out his hand and grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?" she tried to jerk away.

"I'm not going to hurt you…" he looked around quickly. "You must flee." He finally said, straight into her eyes.

"But… why? What's happening?" she was still trying to get her arm free.

"She sent me to kill you, don't you see? Now run away! Get as far away from here as you can! Let her think you are dead! Never come back again!"

"What? No…" Kari was now crying and the man let go of her arm and tried to push her towards the woods.

"Go! Now! Or she will kill you herself!" he pushed her again and finally Kari ran off into the woods weeping.

…

…_Meanwhile_…

…

Around the time that Kari had fled the scene of the woods is about the time where this scene started. Inside a cave were seven workers. They were all men, or, to be more specific: male, because some of them were still considered boys, or young men. In any case, there were seven of them, and each one was working hard inside the mine. Yes, it was a diamond mine. Each day, these seven would get up early and trek to the mountain where this diamond mine was. The eldest, Matt, had found it with his father many years ago, and they mined it with along with Matt's younger brother TK. Each day they chipped away at diamonds and the more they worked, the more work needed to be done! After a month or so of mining, TK recruited one of his best friends, Davis, to mine with them. Davis had no parents and so he lived with their family and mined with them every day. After another month, Matt recruited his best friend, Izzy, and he lived with them too. (He was orphaned as well). After a year, Davis asked Matt's father if two of his friends could mine with them. They were hard working boys who needed a place to stay, as they were orphans also! Their names were Kouji and Henry.

They worked with that group of people for many years in the mine and every so often, Matt and TK's father would go and sell diamonds to several places. Matt was the only one that he would ever let go with him, because he was the oldest, and they still needed miners back at the mine. Matt and TK's father was really like an adopted father to all the boys, and they all loved him back like a father. But one day, he didn't come back from his trip to the cities. Only matt came back with an empty cart and a hat full of tears. This almost stopped the diamond business altogether, but Matt took up his leadership and urged all his brothers on to complete the work his father started. After that, Matt was the leader of the miners. But since his father died, there were only six boys, and they all felt that seven was a good round number, so Henry recruited one of his old childhood friends named Takato who was also an orphan. Now, Takato wasn't as strong as the rest, but they figured they would put him to work anyway, and after a little while, he earned his strength.

So, there were seven again, and here is where we pick up the story.

Matt carried his torch up near the mouth of the cave. He had finally finished with his work, (before anyone else did, of course) and he collapsed onto a rock to rest.

"Wrap it up!" he shouted back into the cave and his voice echoed through. As he slowly unwrapped the cloth around his lower face, he looked up to see Kouji walking up to him. "Nice work, Kouji!" he smiled at the boy. Kouji just made a nod for his reply and seated himself on a rock near to where Matt was. He had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail and he was covered in black dirt. Kouji was the most quiet out of everyone. He had always been that way, but after Matt's father died, he became even more silent. No one really knew the story of what happened to his parents, not even Henry, and he _never_ wanted to talk about it. Sometimes he would hold up a conversation or perhaps join in wrestling matches, but he rarely spoke when he was working. Most of the time, as it seemed to everyone else, he was deep in thought. Kouji unwrapped his face as well and looked up at Matt. "I uncovered a new tunnel that leads deeper into the mountain." He said at length.

Matt looked up in surprise. "You did?" he paused then said, "Be careful Kouji, we don't know if it's safe… you didn't go in yet, did you?"

"No." Kouji leaned back with a frown as if that's what he really wanted to do, but he was smart enough not to go in alone.

"Did you take your pack up to the cart?"

Kouji gave him an annoyed expression as if to say, _Do you think I'm stupid, of course I did._

"Alright." Matt smiled. "Good work, we'll look into that cave tomorrow. Do you know if anyone else is done yet?"

Kouji shook his head then looked over to see TK coming out. Matt looked as well and smiled at his brother. "Is anyone else done?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, pretty much everyone. They're all taking their loads back to the cart." He answered and wiped his forehead. Matt nodded then stood and walked up to his brother.

"TK…" he sighed and looked up at his brother who towered above him in height. "You're getting so tall. You need to stop growing!"

"Yeah, I'll stop growing when you stop bossing me around." TK playfully shoved Matt nearly knocking him over. This started a small brother (playful) fist fight and the rest of the boys began to come out of the cave.

Davis and Izzy came out together and shortly after that, Takato and Henry came out: Henry with a crutch underneath his left arm.

Matt stopped shoving TK (or, really, TK stopped shoving Matt) and he ran over to them.

"How's your leg treating you?" Matt put a hand on Henry's shoulder. Henry unwrapped his face and then smiled at Matt. "It's treating me just fine!"

"Nothing ever gets you down." Matt laughed and gave him a good pat on the back.

"He still digs more diamonds at the end of the day than me." Takato said nudging Henry.

Izzy walked over to Matt and crossed his arms. "I sealed up the cart, I think we're ready to roll."

"Then let's roll!" Matt shouted so that everyone heard and the seven boys all got up and commenced in trekking down the side of the mountain and into the forest.

It was about a two hour trek down to their cabin, and so it would be some time until they got there, giving Kari just enough time to… oh wait, I'm jumping ahead! Let me rewind…

…_Rewinding_…

Kari ran and cried for what seemed to be hours. She ran deeper and deeper into the forest but hardly even noticed when time passed. Adrenaline kept her going and kept her running and running. Finally, after she had begun to calm down and realize what was happening, she collapsed on the ground and breathed heavily. She held there for a moment, breathing, and then raised her head to see nothing but forever trees and woods. On her right the forest led upward as if there was the beginning of a mountain and in front of her the woods led on and around the roots of the mountain. She curled into a little ball, completely scared out of her wits and began to quietly cry again. Suddenly, almost as if something reached out and tapped her on the shoulder, Kari felt the need to get up. Gathering up all the courage she had left, she slowly stood and began to walk through the forest. Almost as if someone was leading her, she walked where she felt she needed to.

Who knows how long it was, fifteen minutes, an hour, all day? But after _some_ amount of time, Kari arrived at a quaint log house on the side of the mountain. She nearly shrieked in joy and ran up to the door, eager to be let in.

She knocked twice then waited. …No reply… She knocked again! …Still no reply… Kari got impatient and wondered if it was abandoned. She knocked one more time and as her fist hit the wood the last time, the force jarred the door. Seeing it was unlocked, she figured she might as well step in! Who ever lived there, surely they'd let her stay for a bit. She slowly entered and peered all around. Oh my goodness, this house _must _have been recently abandoned; it was a complete mess! As she walked through, she'd pick up a chair or two or pick up a dirty plate and stick it into the sink. The house was beautifully made though. It was all wood and there were even beautiful carvings on the door frames. There was a set of stairs that ran up and a couple of couches lined the walls. Nothing seemed to be in place, and this actually frustrated her a bit. She couldn't possibly rest in a place as messy as this!

"Well, I guess I'll just have to get my chores done before I sleep." She sighed. Good thing she was used to doing work, because within an hour, the entire house was cleaned, swept, dusted and straightened! Kari had journeyed up the stairs during her chores and saw that there were seven beds all crammed into one room. This interested her. Not one of the beds was made: not one! So, during her chores, she made the beds and even did a load of laundry. After the entire house was spotless, Kari realized how greatly fatigued she was and she laid down on one of the beds. She hadn't really planned on sleeping on it, but before she knew it, she was deep in dream land.

Matt kicked the door with his foot and it flew open. Like he did each day, Matt ran over to the bigger couch before anyone else did and threw himself into it. He was so used to coming into his own house, he didn't even stop to notice it's 'new look'. All the rest of the boys piled in, but then there were too many eyes not to notice, and before anyone could say 'cracker', they all burst into commotion. Everyone commenced in shouting and shoving and running around the house in amazement. Matt, of course, saw and looked around silently.

"Quiet everyone!" he held up his hands and raised his voice. Everyone stopped and looked at him, waiting for direction.

"Someone was here." Kouji spoke out. Everyone looked at him then back at Matt.

"Is it true?" Takato asked Matt.

"Someone was here." Kouji repeated himself, a little annoyed. Matt nodded, and held up his finger to his lips.

"We don't even know if they're still here." He said in a very low voice. "I need everyone to stay here and sit down where you are quietly." They all did as he said quietly. "Has anyone been upstairs?" everyone shook they're heads and Davis spat out a 'no'. "Alright. Kouji, I want you to quietly go upstairs." Matt whispered softly. Kouji got up without a sound and crept up the stairs.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Kouji pushed open the door and it creaked. He cringed at the sound but went in all the same. He was shocked for a moment when he saw how clean the room was and he was especially taken back to see his own bed made all neat and nice. It took actually only about two seconds for Kouji to see a body on one of the beds. Of course, it was Matt's bed. His was the best and everyone liked to sleep on it when he was out on the diamond runs. Kouji shook his head and chuckled. It was a girl! The ridiculous creature must have come in to sleep and figured cleaning the place would earn her stay! Well, he didn't care. He was actually beginning to think about doing something about all the mess. Out of curiosity, he walked over to her bed side and tried to get a look at her face. He stepped back once laying eyes on her. She was definitely the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and that was saying a lot! Thinking it best, Kouji didn't wake her and immediately left the room. He walked down the stairs, still very silently and stood before the rest of the boys. They all gazed at him, dying for an answer.

"Well?" Davis finally spat out. Everyone darted a glance at him then quickly back at Kouji. A small smile appeared on Kouji's face as he prepared himself to tell the news.

"Come on, what is it, Kouji?" Matt ruffled his hair and sat down, knowing it wasn't anything dangerous.

"It's a girl!" he burst out loudly which made everyone jump. After realizing what he said, they all burst into another commotion bomb. This was news indeed! None of them had actually seen a female in several years, except for Matt on his runs, because they mined every day! Kouji watched the commotion with a smile and walked toward the stairs to go back up. Matt saw him and quickly got up. He didn't want Kouji thinking he had any new "right" over seeing the girl just because _he_ found her.

"Kouji," he grabbed his arm. Kouji turned and looked back at him.

"What?"

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see if all that woke her up." He shrugged.

"Kouji, if anyone is going to talk to her, I am." He gave Kouji a good look in the eyes. "It's my house, and _I_ am going to be the one granting her stay."

Kouji sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Plus, why are you taking an interest in this girl anyway?" Matt nudged him, knowing Kouji mostly stayed out of things.

Kouji gave him an annoyed expression. "Everyone's interesting." With that, he left the house, probably to go on a walk. Matt shook his head as he watched him leave and turned to go up the stairs.

"Matt…" someone from behind tapped his shoulder. He turned around to see Izzy, his best friend, standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, Iz." He smiled. "You want to come with me?"

"Actually…" he walked up close to Matt. "I was thinking we should just let her sleep. Who knows why she's here, all we know is she's sleeping! Maybe we should all clean up before she wakes up…"

"If you hadn't noticed, she did that her self." Matt crossed his arms and winked.

"No, I mean, we should wash up… we all just came from the mine and we all look like…"

"Miners?" Matt finished his sentence.

"Yeah, pretty much." He smiled and wiped his face with his sleeve.

"Yeah we should probably…" before he could finish his thought, he was suddenly interrupted with a thump from above. Both boys heard it and froze. She was awake. They both looked over the stairwell and saw that none of the rest heard, they were still all talking and fighting about the whole situation.

"Well…" Matt shrugged.

"Let's go."

Kari woke suddenly from a wooden vase falling of her bedside table. She must have knocked it over. With a groan, she rubbed here eyes and then sighed. She laid there for a moment just thinking. The bed was very comfortable, and she was still tired, but she figured she should probably leave before anyone got there. She opened her eyes and turned her head to see two figures standing at the door of the room. She gasped but kept herself from making any noise. They definitely startled her. She saw them glance at each other before they took a few steps over. As her eyes adjusted to the waking light, she saw that they were two young men around the age of nineteen or twenty. One of them stepped up to speak with her. He had light blonde hair that was just about down to his ears and the bangs fell down over his eyes. His face was stained with black dirt and so were his clothes, but she could tell he was quite handsome and he had an air of leadership. He brushed the bangs out of his face as he opened his mouth to speak.

"My name is Matt. This is my house you're sleeping in." he folded his hands behind his back, not exactly sure how to act around such a pretty young lady. She saw that he had no bad intentions, only the desire to figure out what was happening.

"My name is Kari." She replied. "I am so sorry to have trespassed, but I had no place to stay! I was hoping that whoever lived here wouldn't mind me sleeping here… I'm so sorry." She dropped her head, feeling so embarrassed.

"And you cleaned my house to make up for it?"

"Well, I guess so." She looked back up and saw him smiling. "You aren't angry with me?"

"Why are you out in the middle of the forest looking for a place to sleep?" the second young man suddenly spoke up and stepped out. She turned her gaze to him. He was somewhat taller than Matt yet much thinner. Though he looked scrawny, he also looked strong. He had short brown hair and was also covered in a serious amount of black dirt.

"What is your name, sir?" she asked.

"Uh…" he blushed. "Izzy…"

"Izzy," she gave him a sweet smile then looked back at Matt. "My step mother tried to have me killed, I'm not sure why, but I ran into the forest to escape. She thinks I'm dead." She looked down, still unable to believe it herself. Izzy and Matt both stared at her with horrified expressions.

"Why would anyone want to kill you?" Izzy frowned.

She looked back up at him and gave him another sweet smile. "I don't know. There's probably some reason." Izzy blushed again and turned around. Matt chuckled then said,

"Well Kari, I would like you to know that you are absolutely welcome to stay with us. I can't say that it would be a good idea for you to work with us, but if you would be willing to…"

"Whoa, whoa!" Izzy grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "I don't know if this is such a good idea." He whispered in his ear. "Do you realize we live with five _other_ boys?"

"Izzy," Matt sighed. "Do you expect me to tell her she can't stay with us? We can't just send her out into the danger of these woods. You know there's no where safe she can go that's near."

"Excuse me!" Kari stood. They both turned to look. "I really don't want to be a problem…"

"No," Matt walked over and bowed. "We want you to know you are absolutely welcome! It's not safe for you to come to work with us in the mine, but if you were willing to cook and clean for us, you can stay."

"Really?" she folded her hands in delight. "Are you sure? Please, I don't want you to…"

"No, no, it's fine. But before you agree, there's something you should know…" he sighed and looked at Izzy who shrugged as if to say, _Well go on, tell her!_ "Uh, you see, we're not the only people who live here."

"I figured that." She motioned to all the rest of the beds. "Every one of these beds has been used."

"Yeah, well…" he made another long sigh. "They are all boys… I'm the oldest, and Izzy's next. I mean, they're all really good, none of them would do anything to harm you, I can promise you that. But if you are in any way uncomfortable with that, I understand."

"I see." She nodded. "Well, considering what danger I'm in out there, I would be happy to stick around here… at least for a little bit?" she gave a small hope-lit face.

"Of course you can!" Matt reached out to pat her shoulder, but stopped himself. _Oh man, I need to get used to having a woman around!_ He thought to himself. "Well, If you don't mind, Izzy and I would like to go speak with the boys before anything else happens."

"Of course." She sat back down on the bed. Matt turned around and he and Izzy left the room with the door closed behind them.

As soon as they made it to the bottom of the stairs, the saw that every single boy in the room was now silent and staring at them, ready to hear about what happened.

"Okay, guys…" Matt rubbed his eyes, wondering how this was going to turn out. "She's going to…" he cringed, looking at all the hopeful faces. "Well, she needs a place to stay and…"

"LET HER STAY WITH US!" Davis shouted out.

"Shut up and let me finish." He scowled. Davis silenced. "Some step mother of hers tried to kill her and she needs a place to stay. I offered for her to stay with us if she cleans and cooks for us." He paused to look at all the hopeful faces. "And uh… It looks like she is going to stay for a bit."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" TK spoke up. "I mean, we'll be gone all day at the mine! Do you think she'll be all right?"

"She'll be fine." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "I'm just going to need you all to be on your best behavior now." His voice got louder and more commanding. "No rude remarks to her or each other when she is in your presence; you must all act like gentlemen! Are we clear?"

There was a chorus of 'yes's and once he saw everyone was in agreement, he looked at Izzy and motioned for him to bring her down. Izzy nodded and ran up the stairs.

"Well everyone, I would like for you to meet Kari." Matt said and everyone's gaze turned to Kari who was now descending down the stairs. Everyone stared in awe. Most of the boys hadn't seen a girl in at least four or five years, and none of them had seen one so beautiful. Matt looked at all their faces and inwardly groaned. _Oh this is going to be a nightmare._

_...Well children, please read and review. Obviously, you read it, now review it. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Snow white and the seven…**

**Chapter three: **

After washing his face and body in the river near to the house, Kouji pulled on his still dirty pants, picked up the rest of his dirty clothes and walked back to his home. As he approached he saw the lights in the upstairs on and he could see that everyone was getting ready for bed. He let out a huge breath of air and opened the back door that went straight into the kitchen. Then, dropping the dirty clothes in his hands into the basket, he slowly made his way to the stairs. He stopped and noticed the fire still going strong.

"Idiots." He growled. "They left the fire going? Come on." He walked over to the fire and poked it with the stick.

"Hello." A startling voice made him jump from behind. He whirled around to see a girl sitting on the couch with her knees tucked up to her chest. His arms went hot and he rubbed his face.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped.

"I see that you are the one that wasn't here when Matt introduced me… he allowed me to stay." She answered softly.

"Why?" he sat down next to the fire.

Kari felt a little uncomfortable; she hadn't really met a young man her age that didn't seem pleased to meet her. "Well… if you must know, I am hiding from my step mother who tried to have me murdered. Matt offered me to stay here if I cooked and cleaned for you all."

Kouji thought to himself that it wasn't that bad of an idea to have someone to cook and clean for them, but a _girl? _That was pushing it. For years, he had lived comfortably with all his brothers and he was finally starting to feel like he was one of them and he could be himself, but it was all going to change now. All the boys would soon be competing over her and getting annoyed with each other and he wanted nothing to do with it. He stayed silent and stared at the fire.

"What happened to your real parents?" he asked at length.

"I…" she was a bit taken back. "I hardly know you…"

"Well I guess that'll change soon." He remarked almost with rude sarcasm.

"Well what happened with your parents?" she asked back, getting somewhat offended for the first time in her life.

Kouji shot her a glare. "Don't you _ever _ask me that again!" he growled. At that, he stood. Realizing he was sitting downstairs alone in a room with a girl and he wasn't even fully dressed, he immediately walked up stairs and slammed the door.

Kari stared after him and then buried her face in her knees to silently sob. She didn't really want to stay with them in the first place! What about that prince? He seemed so nice, so kind, why couldn't she just run to the castle and stay with him? Bur her step mother… she would probably find her if she went back.

"Oh what's the use in living anyway?" she cried to herself. "No one really wants me around; I'm just a rock in everyone's shoe wherever I go! I know I'm not really wanted here." Eventually she cried herself to sleep and woke early the next morning to a thump…

Kari opened her eyes suddenly as she heard the loud thump repeat itself. She quickly sat up and wiped her eyes. The thump went a third time and she looked up to see Henry making his way down the stairs with his crutch. Several more thumps resounded until he made his way to the bottom and she ran over to greet him there.

"Is there any way I can help you?"

"Oh I'm fine," he smiled quite handsomely. He had dark black hair and was quite tan. He seemed fit except for his leg which was obviously giving him trouble. Henry looked to be just about Kari's age but was much taller than she was. "If there's anything you can do for me this fine morning, it's make a breakfast!" he hobbled over to a chair and sat down.

"Of course!" she clasped her hands together and ran over to a cupboard to get out some pots. She began to light the wood stove and Henry watched. She was very fast but clean and neat with the way she worked. She paused once the stove was lit and shut and then turned to look at him. "Do you have any eggs or milk?" she asked.

Henry nodded and chuckled, "We have chickens and cows in the back!"

"You do?" her eyes widened.

"Yeah," he struggled a bit to stand but triumphed. "Why don't I show you around and help you get a handle on the things that will be expected of you. In all honesty, we have really needed someone to run the place while we're at work. If you couldn't tell, there's a lot to do."

"Thank you so much." She smiled and followed him as he led her out the back door. There was a pen in the back that had about ten chickens and there was also a barn a little further out. He led her down the path to the barn and inside were two milk cows. There were many stacks of hay up in the loft that Matt would trade for in his trips to town and some other crates filled with unknown items. (To Kari, at least).

"You'll be expected to milk the cows, fetch water from the stream for them, renew their hay and wash them from time to time." He patted one of the milk cows as he instructed. Kari nodded repeatedly as he went on. "As for the chickens," he began to hobble back toward the pen on his one crutch. "You give them feed everyday, which is also stored in the barn, and you clean out their water dishes and refill those in the stream as well. If you ever want to let them out to run around, please keep an eye on them and don't go inside, we don't want any to get lost or eaten." Kari nodded again and Henry began to lead her back to the house.

"Who normally does all this?" she asked, following.

Henry stopped, turned around, and said, "Me." At that, he opened the door and went back in. She sighed and followed.

"You are welcome to do laundry as well and hang it up in the back, as you began to do yesterday." He winked.

"You do all of this every morning?" she pulled over his stool for him to sit.

"I'm the early riser." He yawned. "If it wasn't for my leg, it all would be done by now, but now that we have you, you can take all day about it, and you can have dinner ready by the time we get home!"

"I see." She pulled up another stool and sat. "So what did happen to your leg?"

Henry sighed and looked down at his left leg that was splinted and wrapped. "A cave in."

"At the mine you work at?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I was chipping and suddenly the ceiling above me caved in on top of me. Luckily it was only my leg that got crushed." Kari cringed.

"It sounds painful."

"It is… I mean was." He sighed again then said, "You had better start on that breakfast!"

"Oh!" she jumped up and ran outside to get eggs. Henry laughed as she ran out, thankful that he didn't have to worry about his morning chores.

By the time Kari was back inside, Henry had gone elsewhere and she heard commotions happening as the rest of the boys were getting up. The door momentarily opened at the top of the stares and Kouji ascended silently. (Almost the opposite from Henry). Kari's spine curled and her arms began to shiver out of nervousness. His silence scared her. She kept her head turned away but felt the heat of his eyes on her back. Kouji watched her preparing the breakfast as he came into the room. He didn't say anything but walked right up to her and stood directly behind her from about a foot's distance. She could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck. Finally, her nerves could take no more of it and she quickly turned around to stare at him eye to eye.

"Is there something you need?" she said, trying to sound fearless. Kouji stared at her, not saying anything then looked down at what he was holding in his hand. She followed his gaze and saw he was holding a small pair of overalls and a button-up plaid shirt. She looked back up at his face and he was looking at her.

"What is this?"

"Matt said to give these to you to wear if it's too hard to work in your dress." He answered toneless and expressionless. She took the clothes from him, keeping a straight face right at him. He blinked then walked off and out the front door.

"Aurrgh!" She growled and slammed her fist on the counter. Why was he like that? She couldn't even bear to think about him. She set down the clothes and continued making her eggs.

Before long, the room was filled with all seven boys and breakfast was passed around the table. Once all including Kari were seated, Matt said grace and the eating commenced. Not much longer after, Matt had everyone out the door and on their way up the mountain. Kari smiled at Matt who turned back to give her one more glance.

"Are you going to be alright?" he put a strong hand on her shoulder.

"I'll be fine." She nodded.

"Don't let anyone in Kari. If anyone comes, pretend you are not home. If anyone breaks in, run, and do not let yourself be seen." His words comforted her, and she stared into his eyes. His strength and protectiveness reminded her of her father and she even felt the urge to hug him. Tears welled up and she began to sniffle. Matt sighed and gently wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest. He didn't intend on doing that only the second day he knew her, but out of his compassion and empathy of losing his own parents, Matt almost felt like it was his responsibility to care for others like a father. Feeling the tight embrace from someone around her, Kari, being reminded of her father, burst into a hard sob. Matt shook his head and sighed. This poor girl, she was yet another abandoned child to come under his care. _I guess this is my place in life, to care for those who have no one to care for them._ He thought to himself. _I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do with a girl!_

Knowing that it was well past time to catch up with the rest, Matt pulled her off of himself and looked at her in the eyes. "Don't be scared, you're safe here."

She nodded, showing she understood and then wiped her face.

"Did Kouji give you the clothes?" she nodded again. "You'll be fine." He said again, more playfully this time to cheer her up. He then left her standing there and ran off.

Kari looked up after him. "Thank you!" she shouted out. He heard but only turned around and waved as he ran up the side of the slope. She stood there watching until he was out of sight and then turned back to go inside and do her chores.

All the work took a lot longer than she thought it would. A lot of it took brute strength, but she managed. By the time she finished everything, it was already time to make dinner. After long, she had together a soup on the stove and she collapsed on the couch in exhaustion.

…Meanwhile…

Patrice rubbed her hands together as she stared gleefully at the closed glass box that was resting upon the surface of her vanity. She quickly popped it open and stared down at the figure inside. The small fairy was curled up inside sleeping. The sudden approach of light woke him, of course, and he looked up at the face of his master. He groaned once seeing her gleeful grin and rubbed his eyes.

"You didn't…" he sighed and sat up.

"Tell me_ now_, fairy!" she leaned back, closed her eyes and waited for his reply. He rolled his eyes and crossed his legs where he was sitting inside his box.

"You know, I can do other things besides tell you how pretty anything is. In fact, that's the least of my…"

"SILENCE!" she shouted, bursting her eyes open. "You do as I say!" she pointed a threatening finger at him.

He sighed again and closed his eyes to think. "Didn't I tell you who it was yesterday?"

"Yes, but haven't things changed?" she raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to look surprised.

He opened his eyes and stared up at her blankly. "No."

"Impossible!" she stood in fury. "Think again!" She started to shake.

"Are you questioning my…"

"I said," she leaned in and repeated herself this time quietly but menacingly. "…_think again_."

"I don't have to." He crossed his arms. "Kari is still just as beautiful as she was yesterday."

Patrice let out a yell that shook the walls and she slammed the lid of the box down on top of the fairy.

…meanwhile…

Davis crawled on his stomach through the small hole toward the light. He was deep in the cave inside one of the caverns only he could fit into.

"Ouch." He squinted from a poke on his side. He looked down to see a diamond digging into him. "Oh brother." He groaned then continued to pull himself through the small hole. "Someone want to give me a hand?" he shouted out to anyone who might be close. In a few moments, TK was standing in front of him with his hands on his hips.

"You idiot, you shouldn't crawl through all those holes. You're going to get stuck one of these days."

"I'm stuck right now! Pull me out already!" Davis retorted. TK chuckled and pulled Davis through. Davis stood and dusted himself off. "I found a really cool place down there!"

"I'm sure you did." TK rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's head up. It's time to go."

"I know." Davis grabbed his sack of diamonds he had shoved through the hole in front of him. "That's why I was on my way out, dork!"

"Whatever." TK gave him a shove which nearly knocked him over.

The two of them walked up toward the surface together silently for a bit until Davis finally said, "You know, that Kari girl's kinda pretty!"

"You think?" TK snorted. "She's gorgeous!"

"I know." Davis began to unwrap the cloth that covered most of his face. "I think I'm kind of starting to like her."

"Oh boy."

"TK…" Davis jumped in front of his friend and held up his hands. "Please don't say anything about this…"

"Davis, you can't start liking her if you don't even know her…" TK pulled his cloth down from over his mouth.

"I don't know…" Davis turned aside and sat down on a rock that was sticking out of the cave. TK sighed and did the same, next to him. "I guess it's been so long since I've been around a girl. And I don't know… I was thinking the other night about when I might ever see one again. And then, there she was!"

"Davis, careful…" TK looked at him. "There's a lot of us boys, we don't want to start any fights that might de-unify us. For now, just keep it between you and me, and please don't go so for to the point where you might get heartbroken… or jealous."

"Yeah." Davis sighed. "I figure, I'm going to see her every day, and Matt won't let anyone get her, will he?"

"No, he won't."

…

Matt came out of the cave to see Kouji sitting there wiping his face with a wet cloth.

"Wow, you finished before me!" he crossed his arms. Kouji looked up at him blankly. "Bad day?"

Kouji looked down again as if it say, 'yes'.

"Does it have anything to do with Kari?" Matt sighed. Kouji kept staring down at the ground.

"Kouji, I know I didn't ask you all if it was alright, but it was the right thing to do. It's my house, and I believe it's my responsibility to take care of someone if they have no one else to take care of them…"

"Matt…" Kouji lifted his head and looked at his elder right in the eyes. "She's sweet, nice and beautiful." He stated it as a fact.

"Uh… so…?" Matt raised an eyebrow wondering what Kouji meant by that. Kouji rolled his eyes.

"I mean, she is the exact kind of girl that any of these boys would fall in love with. She's near perfect, and not only that, but her parents are dead and she's scared and hurting. Boys like these like comforting girls and protecting them, especially ones they can understand. Every single one is probably going to fall in love with her, then fight, then separate."

"And so you're doing your best to hate her so _you_ don't fall in love with her?"

Kouji didn't answer.

"Since when did you become the expert in this area anyway?"

He still didn't answer.

"You know you can talk to me Kouji."

He remained silent.

"You know, maybe you're right, Kari is a very lovable girl, and everyone might actually fall in love with her, but does that make it right to throw her out in the cold? Do you expect us to abandon her like everyone else did?"

"No." he stood. "I don't. But don't expect me to be her best friend either."

Matt watched Kouji start down the hill by himself.

…

That night, all eight of them sat around the living room together eating. Kari was seated on a stool, Matt, Izzy and TK were all on one couch, Davis, Takato and Henry were on the other, and Kouji was leaning against the wall. It was Matt's idea for each member to share something about themselves to Kari so that they could get to know each other. For starters, it was Matt.

"As you know," he spoke up nice and loud and everyone else quieted down. "My name is Matt! This is my house, and I lead this group of monsters." There was a chorus of 'ohh's and someone threw a pillow at his face. "Shut up, guys." He laughed. "My dad started our mining business, and after he died, I took it up."

"I'm Izzy!" Izzy jumped in, hardly hesitating. "I'm Matt's best friend, and he recruited me into this life of solitude."

"More than that…" Matt elbowed him in the side. Izzy jumped and choked on a laugh.

"Alright! I'm Izzy and…" he thought for a second. "…I used to be a fisherman! My father was a fisherman, and I fished with him."

"Wow!" Kari smiled wide. Izzy blushed.

"I'm TK, and Matt is my older brother. Except, I am taller than him." He winked at his brother."

"Yeah, thanks for that vital piece of info, bro."

"And I'm stronger than him too."

"Oh shut up." Matt nudged him as he was on his other side. Kari giggled in delight.

"Well I am Davis." Davis cleared his throat. "TK got me into mining, but before I went into this business, I broke horses."

"You broke horses?" Kari covered her mouth, unsure of what that meant.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I helped catch wild horses and I would break them in, meaning I would teach them how to let people ride them."

"Wow!" Kari folded her hands, so interested in the lives of the boys. All she had known was the life in her manor.

"I'm Henry, and I don't remember much of my life before working at the mine." He smiled.

"Why is that?"

"Oh, he got hit in the head or something." Davis punched Henry in the shoulder. Takato, Henry's best friend, seeing it was best to take the subject off his friend, spoke up.

"My name is Takato, and before the mining business, I worked with my family in a bakery. We had the best bread and pies in… in the whole world!" He looked down as his mind threw flashbacks of his family into his head.

Understanding that Takato's family and bakery probably didn't exist anymore, she turned the attention over to Kouji who was in the corner.

"What about you?"

Kouji gave her a rude glare and said, "I'm Kouji." Three pillows flew at his head probably thrown by Davis, TK and Matt, and he blocked or caught all three.

"Come on Kouji," Matt gave him almost a warning look, "Say something about yourself."

Kouji rolled his eyes and let out a burst of air from his chest. "Henry and I were friends before we mined together." He said in reluctance. He chose that fact mostly because he knew it would interest Kari, but he wouldn't say any more and neither would Henry. Henry's eyes dropped down to the floor and his smile disappeared off his face. Kari sensed a bit of awkwardness and then lit up and said,

"Well, let me tell you all a bit about myself!" everyone brightened at this idea and all stared at her inventively. Even Kouji was a bit interested.

"As you all know, my name is Kari." She put on a sweet smile and folded her hands as if she were about to tell a beautiful tale. "I come from a wonderful family! My father was a duke and a great hunter and my mother was a duchess, of course. She actually used to be a princess from a far away land, but that is another story. When I was born my mother died, my father died years later, and so did my older brother. So, I have been raised by my step-mother who is also a very beautiful duchess." She paused and looked around at everyone's faces. They all were surprised she shared so openly and some of them even felt guilty that they didn't share more about themselves.

"You seem so happy about it, didn't your step-mother try to kill you?" Kouji spoke out from his corner. Everyone stared at him, horrified that he would ask something so rude, but no one spoke. They all were curious to hear what Kari would say.

Kari stared at Kouji with a very blank but knowing expression. "I have reason to be happy." She replied. "Because I am still alive. And I _am_ blessed to have had parents like mine. I could be dead, or still lost in the forest, but I was so blessed as to have ended up here. So yes, I am happy about it." She stared at him.

"So why did she try to kill you if you think you didn't do anything wrong?"

The room was dead silent for a moment.

"I don't know." She finally replied in weak, quiet voice.

"Okay…" Matt stood, breaking the suspense between Kari and Kouji. "We have something else to talk about."

Everyone was glad he interrupted and they all looked and listened inventively to him. Kari did as well but her face was still red and her insides were knotting up. Kouji still stared at her.

"As you all know, tomorrow is the fourth Saturday of the month." Everyone nodded. "Just so you know, Kari, every fourth Saturday, I make a run into town to do some trading. That means, no one goes to the mine, it's everyone's day off… except mine. I will leave tomorrow morning and come back around Monday evening or early Tuesday morning. I want you all to be on your best behavior, and make sure Kari feels welcome." He smiled at the girl who was seated silently. "Now everyone, go to bed."

At those last three words, everyone jumped up and hustled upstairs. It took a couple moments before it was just Matt, Kouji and Kari in the room. Kouji had stayed where he was and so had Matt. Kari, seeing that they needed to talk, got up and went outside.

"Matt… do you think you could take me this time?" Kouji said as soon as Kari had left.

"Kouji, no. You know you're not old enough to come."

"I know I could handle myself." Kouji tensed. "Please!"

"No…" he sighed. "I need someone with sense like yours to stick around. If anything happens I want you to take care of everyone."

Kouji dropped his head.

"And Kouji…" Matt laid a hand on his shoulder. "Please try to be more kind."

…

More coming!! Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Snow white and the seven… **

_Chapter Four: The ribbon_

...

The duchess tapped her finger on the surface of her vanity as she stared down at the little fairy. He rubbed his head and scowled.

"You hurt me."

"I don't care." She growled. "Now, fairy of beauty, it is time for you to show me what else you can do!"

"Seriously?" he looked up hopefully. "I can do lots of things!" he stood excitedly. "For instance, I can…"

"Hold your tongue." She snapped. He fell backwards and held his ears as she had shouted louder than he could handle. "I need you to tell me where she is! I will kill her myself!"

The little fairy gulped. "Please… I beg you…"

"Tell me where she is now or I will pluck your wings off!" she clenched her fists. Her captive, really having no choice in the matter sighed and crossed his arms.

"She's deep in the forest inside a…" Not even letting him finish his sentence, the duchess grabbed him in her hand, stood and said,

"Show me."

…

Kari felt someone touch her shoulder and she jerked into consciousness. Gazing upward, she saw Matt leaning over her with a smile. "I'm sorry to wake you," he whispered. "I'm on my way out the door." She took a few glances around the room, it was still dark out. "I just wanted to see if you had any questions or anything before I go. Are you going to be alright here with the boys?"

"I'll be fine." She yawned. "They are all decent boys, I'm not worried."

"They sure are. Now, Izzy is in charge when I'm gone, so if you need anything, you can speak with him. If any of the guys get out of line, don't hesitate to reprimand them, alright?"

"Okay." She nodded with her eyes closed.

"Okay, bye now." Matt patted her head and she laid it back down on her pillow. In moments, he was gone and she could hear the sound of his wagon rolling off.

…

"RISE AND SHINE!"

Rising again unexpectedly, Kari looked up to see Davis and TK beaming above her. "Good morning." She mumbled, still half awake.

"IT'S BREAKFAST!" they shouted in unison.

"Oh!" she rubbed her eyes, threw off her covers and rose. They walked with her excitedly to the table and she sat.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone (minus Kouji) shouted even louder and pointed at the table. There on it was a pie that was still hot from the stove.

"Pie?" she clasped her hands together in joy. "You made pie for me?"

"Well, Henry made it." Takato said.

"With Takato's help, of course!" Henry nudged him. Really, it was the first pie Henry had ever made, and Takato was behind him telling him what to do the entire time. But Kari didn't need to know that.

"Oh thank you so much! This is so kind!"

They all beamed (again, minus Kouji, he just stared) and after Izzy blessed the food, they cut into the pie and filled their stomach's with it.

"So what do you all normally do on your free days?" Kari asked after swallowing a piece of delicious apple pie. They all looked at each other expectantly as if someone else should say something.

"Whatever we want to!" Davis piped up.

"Yeah, we'll go swimming…" TK suggested.

"Or napping," Henry winked.

"Or cooking!" Takato shrugged.

"Or fighting." Kouji mumbled. All the rest of the boys looked at him.

"That's true," Henry shrugged. "We, often times, will wrestle, or something like that."

"Hmm!" she smiled out of politeness, but fighting didn't really sound that fun to her… in fact none of the suggestions sounded that great.

"I could introduce you to my horse!" Davis offered. Kari's eyes lit.

"You have a horse?"

"Yeah!" he grinned, glad to peak her interest. "He's kind of wild, but he lets me ride him."

"I would love to meet your horse." She shoved another bite of pie in her mouth.

. "Okay," Izzy cleared his throat. "I want Kouji and TK to do the dishes then. The rest of you are dismissed. And Davis, careful with that horse, you know he can be pretty mean some times."

"I'll make sure nothing happens to Kari." Davis assured him, catching his meaning.

"Okay then," he wiped his face, stood and left the room. Kouji rose immediately after and followed him out of the room.

"Come on!" Davis grabbed Kari by the wrist and dragged her out of the cabin. She excitedly followed.

…

Duchess Patrice clothed herself in peasant clothing, and washed off any trace of make up or enhancing look on her face. She stared at herself in the mirror for a good 5 minutes before opening her little glass box where she had shoved the little fairy into. After opening up his cage, she asked him,

"Little fairy, do you think I look convincing?"

"You don't look like a duchess, but Kari will recognize you." He replied, crossing his arms.

"Well do something about it!" she shrieked back.

"What would you have me do, then?" he asked, almost mockingly.

"Make me unrecognizable in any way you can!" she roared.

"Fine, fine!" he scowled and waved his hand with a trill of sparkles. The duchess transformed into a rather plain-looking peasant woman. Gazing at herself in her mirror once more, she smiled mischievously.

"Yes, this will do."

The now plain-looking peasant duchess snatched up the little fairy in her hand and slipped him into a little pouch. That little pouch she hid in a small pocket inside her coat.

An hour later, she had gathered together a collection of fine-looking ribbon which she intended to sell as a disguise and then was off on her journey in a wagon, led by her small fairy guide.

…

Davis gleefully led Kari out to a fenced field a small distance from the cottage. As they came up to the fence-side, Davis pulled out a large carrot which he had pulled from the garden. (Probably without Henry's knowledge) He gave out a sharp whistle then called, "Here, Blackberry!"

"Blackberry?" Kari put her hands on the fence and looked over to see a beautiful black Arabian thoroughbred stallion running from across the field towards them.

"Yeah, he's the best! I found him eating a blackberry bush over near the mine. It took me months to even get close to him, but I know horses." He looked over and winked. "And now we are best friends!"

"What a beautiful horse!" Kari held out her hand but blackberry only walked over to Davis, noticing he had a carrot. "Do you ride bareback?" she looked over at Davis who was holding up the carrot to his beautiful horse.

"Yeah, Blackberry hates saddles. I would let you ride him, but he really only lets me ride him."

"Oh, I understand. That is a lot like my father's horse." Being reminded of her father, Kari's mind wandered out across the field and all the way back to a manor that she had recently run from. Was she ever going to go back?

"Kari?" David waved to her.

"Oh, yes?" she came to. "Davis, why don't you ride him and show me how he can run?"

"Oh, I'll show you more than that!" he, without another thought, jumped over the fence and onto the back of his stallion. Kari leaned on the fence and watched as he rode the horse all around the field. She thought about how nice it must be for all of these young men to live together like a family, when she, growing up, was alone most of the time.

"They have no idea how lucky they are." She sighed to herself. "And though I am with them, I cannot be a part of them… because I'm a girl."

"And a beautiful girl, at that!" a voice from behind Kari startled her. She quickly turned around to see a peasant woman standing there smiling.

"I'm sorry," Kari apologized. "I did not see you there!"

"Oh I am just passing through," she smiled sweetly. "And what are you doing in these woods, child?"

"Oh I live out here!" Kari smiled back, glad to see another female.

"Such a beautiful girl!" the older-looking peasant woman held out her hands and touched Kari's face. "I sell ribbons that I make to women all over the country, but I have never seen any as beautiful as you!"

"You are so kind, I am sure that is not true." Kari laughed bashfully.

"I assure you!" the woman reached into a parcel and pulled out a few ribbons.

"They are lovely." Kari held out her hands and the woman handed her a couple.

"I want you to pick one out, dear: any one and I will give it to you!"

"Oh, you are so kind!" a tear appeared in Kari's eye and she looked through the ribbons for her favorite. "How about this one?" she held up a blue and gold ribbon.

"A perfect choice, my dear!" the peasant took the ribbon from her. "Let me put it in your hair!"

Kari turned around while the woman started taking down her long beautiful hair behind her. She saw Davis pass by on the horse off in the distance and make a jump over the fence. Kari waved but he didn't see her.

"Beautiful horse your friend has." The woman's voice lowered.

"Oh yes, he…" before Kari could say another word, the ribbon slipped down around her neck and the peasant tightened it, causing her to choke. Kari thrashed, trying to get away, but the woman only pulled tighter and said,

"You think you can escape me, you wretch?"

Kari realized in horror, now recognizing the voice, that this was her very own step-mother. She struggled until her vision went black and her body went limp. Just as her heart began to stop beating from lack of oxygen, the ribbon around her neck was loosened and she fell to the ground.

...

Kari slowly roused into consciousness and looked up from the grassy ground to see Izzy leaning over her. She could hear the sound of blackberry running and Davis shouting off in the distance.

"Are you alright, Kari?" Izzy asked and held her hand.

"I…" she attempted to speak but her throat ached. "What…"

"It's okay." Izzy put his arms under her and lifted her off the ground. "Davis chased down that terrible woman, if she ever comes back, she'll be sorry."

"She…" Kari tried to speak through her weakness. "…step-mother…"

Izzy looked down with horror at the girl in his arms. "That was your step mother?" She only closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest. He carried her back to the cottage, up the stairs, and laid her down on Matt's bed, since it was the best one. Five other boys were soon around the bed looking down at her as she fell asleep.

"Man, Izzy." TK shook his head. "If you hadn't gone out there…"

"I would have saved her!" Davis protested. "Izzy was the one punching her in the chest; _that_ could have killed her!"

"Or his kiss." TK laughed.

"Cut it out guys, you know I had to get her heart going!" Izzy crossed his arms.

"Oh I'm sure you did… or she got _your_ heart going!" TK, Davis, Henry and Takato all giggled.

"Cut it out, guys." Kouji stood at the door to the bedroom. "Can't you tell the girl needs to sleep?" They all looked over at the spoil-sport, figuring he was right and left her bedside.

"Shouldn't someone stay by her side, in case she waked up and needs something?" Davis suggested as he looked back longingly at the sleeping beauty.

"Yeah," Izzy sighed. "Who wants to…?" he stopped short and stared at all of the hopeful young men standing in front of him. "Sheesh, I don't trust any of you alone with her! Not even you, Kouji." He looked over at the indifferent young man standing still by the door.

"I will," Henry offered. "…since I can't do too much wandering around on this old leg."

"That's fine Henry, just stay in here for now and if she needs anything you help her out." Izzy pointed to a chair across the room from where Kari was sleeping. "Sit there."

…

A few hours later, it was evening time and all of the boys (excluding Henry) were down on ground level of the cottage wrestling each other.

"And now!" TK shot his fist in the air as he stood triumphantly with his right foot on top of Izzy who was lying beaten on the floor. "I have beaten you all, and it is time for me to fight the legendary…"

"Come on, you think you can do it this time?" Kouji walked toward TK from his seat by the fire. "You really think you can beat me?" he scoffed as he stretched his arms.

"Bring it on, Kouji!"

"Whoa, hang on guys…" Izzy got up off his feet. "Let me get out of the way before you kill each other." Everyone gathered in a circle around TK and Kouji. TK was by far the largest and perhaps the strongest of them all, but no one had beaten Kouji's skill yet. The fight lasted a couple minutes. TK took some good swings at Kouji who easily dodged them and with a couple of his quick moves, TK was lying on his back.

"How the heck do you do that, Kouji?" Takato yelled out as everyone cheered for Kouji's incredible victory.

"Okay, okay guys, it's time for bed. We have to go to the mine tomorrow." Izzy stood, raising his hands.

"Come on," Kouji sat down on top of TK. "Can't we wait until Matt gets home?"

"You all can wait for him upstairs in bed." He rolled his eyes. "How old are you, five?"

"Well, we feel like it when you send us to bed so early!" TK croaked from under Kouji.

"It's not early, and we have to mine tomorrow, stop being kids and get upstairs!"

Everyone moaned and rolled their eyes as they all bounded up the stairs. The six of them all burst through the bedroom door to see Henry lying on his own bed snoring and Kari sitting up in Matt's bed looking down at her hands. They all stood in the doorway for a moment silently, realizing they had forgotten about Kari being in Matt's bed. Izzy was behind the crowd and pushed them through the doorway and into the room. Kari looked up and saw the mass of people now in the room and smiled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! It's your bed time, I…" she started to get out of the bed.

"No!" Izzy ran to her bedside. "You're fine! Please stay here, we are not going to let you sleep down there by yourself after that attack this morning! You can sleep here in Matt's bed, it's the best one."

Kari smiled gratefully. "You are all so kind!" Everyone smiled back, all blushing at the thought of Kari sleeping in Matt's bed.

Izzy turned to the rest, "Alright guys, try to give Kari some privacy and get in your beds."

"She's sleeping in here?" Kouji whined.

"Shut it up!" Izzy walked over and punched him in the stomach. "It's not a big deal, just go put a shirt on!"

Kouji rolled his eyes, walked over to his bed and got in under the covers. All the others followed suit until Izzy was the only one left standing. He looked over at Kari and asked,

"Is there anything else you need?"

She laughed to herself and said, "Well, it doesn't feel like I really did anything today except lie in bed! I was hoping to spend time with all of you and get to know you during your day off!" everyone was sitting up in their beds looking at her and listening to her voice which to them was like the sound of a breeze, or a bubbling clear brook of perfect water.

"Well," Izzy sat down on his bed which was next to hers and looked down, not sure what to say.

"Maybe one of you will tell me a story! My brother used to tell me stories before I would fall asleep." She hugged her knees hopefully. All the boys stared at her, speechless.

"Well, none of us really…" Izzy started to say but Takato interrupted him.

"Why don't you tell _us_ a story!" he suggested excitedly as he snuggled into his bed and pulled his covers over his shoulders.

"Alright!" she stood up suddenly from the bed. "I will!"

The six boys, all liked the idea and so they quietly awaited the performance that was about to take place in the bedroom that night. Kari told probably the most beautiful, epic, meaningful and dramatic story that probably any of those boys had ever heard in their entire life. It was one she had heard a hundred times from her brother, but to them it was new and perfect. They watched the motions of her hands as she made descriptions, and her voice lulled them almost to a perfect deep sleep, except they all waited until the end of the story.

"…and, they lived happily ever after, to the end of their days: ruling the kingdom in peace and justice." She closed and folded her hands with a finishing smile. The boys' bodies were all numb and could not even move as they stared at the perfect lines of her face. She then crawled into the bed, under the covers, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

…

Matt came home late that night. After putting away the wagon and all of his trade, he snuck up into the bedroom and walked over to his bed. He found it odd that everyone was fast asleep, because they all usually waited up for him, _and_ the light next to Matt's bed had been left burning! He walked over to turn off the oil lamp, when his gaze found itself resting on Kari's sleeping figure in his bed. His first reaction was annoyance as he didn't think it was appropriate for her to sleep in the same room as the boys, but as he looked at Kari, examining her appearance, he noticed the dark red line and bruising around her neck. His face went hot as he thought of what could have possible happened. Understanding that there must be a valid reason for Kari sleeping here in his bed with that mark on her neck, Matt turned out the light and snuck down the stairs to sleep on the couch.

* * *

Well, there is another chapter! Please send a review my way if you liked the story, or tell me who you think Kari will end up with ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Snow White and the Seven…**

_Chapter Five: The Room_

…

Kari woke to the sunlight resting on her face. As she sat up she looked through the upstairs window and smiled. It was open, and the breeze from a cool, clear day was filling the room with the scent of pine trees and the sound of birds singing. Looking around the room, she observed all of the empty beds and understood the boys were probably all at the mine. Figuring she should continue to earn her stay, she started her morning by making all of the messy beds. She then descended the stairs and as she made her way into the small living room area, she noticed motion on the couch. Approaching it, she realized that Matt was sitting there reading a book.

"Good morning!" he announced, looking up toward Kari.

"You stayed home?" she seated herself down on a chair next to him.

"I thought it best," he laid the book down on his lap and folded his hands. "To stay home, after what happened yesterday."

"You heard about that?" her face turned a bit red as she felt her sore neck.

"Yes, I did. Izzy told me what happened, and I felt it would be irresponsible for me to leave you here alone after someone tried to kill you; especially if she now knows where you live!"

"Oh." She looked down. "I didn't really think of that."

"Don't worry, Kari. You don't have to feel bad or anything, we'll take care of you! We're not going to let anything else happen to you, alright? We'll keep someone home during the day so you are not alone."

"Oh no!" she shot her head up and grasped his hand. "I could never be such a burden to you all! I know I have caused you enough trouble already!"

"Nonsense, Kari." He narrowed his brow. "We are not the type of men who would abandon someone just because it makes things inconvenient. That is ridiculous, and you better get used to it."

"Oh." She folded her hands and looked back down in her lap. "Wow… I just haven't received so much kindness since…"

Matt looked at the girl and noticed tears starting to fall in her lap. "Come on, now… it's alright." He sighed. "You're family now, and you're not the first that we have let into our home and taken care of." He patted the seat next to himself on the couch, signaling for her to sit. She rose from the chair and seated herself next to the man. The emotions of her situation over powered her, and feeling the warmth of the fatherly-like love she missed from her own father, Kari burst into sobs. And Matt, not feeling inappropriate whatsoever, took her in his arms and let her cry there. The poor girl let out her tears in the safety of the cottage and, for the first time in many years, felt loved.

…

"Come with me." Matt said at length. He lifted her head off of himself and helped her stand.

"What is it?" she wiped her eyes.

"Come on, I'm going to show you." He put his hand on her back and led her through a small door on the side of the kitchen which she had thought was a closet. As he opened it, sunlight poured into the room. They walked through and looking around Kari saw that a portion of the back yard next to the door had a stack of wooden beams.

"What's this?" she asked as she walked around in observance and saw Matt standing with his hands on his hips with a proud smile.

"This," he pointed to the pile of beams next to the side of the house, "is going to be your room!"

"What?" she gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "You're…"

"I am going to build an extension on our cottage. I really should have done something like this a long time ago, but I never had proper motivation."

"I…"

"You don't have to say anything, Kari. It will be a good project for me and some of the other boys who know how to do it _and_ this means at least one or two people will stay home from the mine every day so that you won't be alone! I thought of it on my way to the market. If you _are_ going to be staying with us, you will need a room, and even if you didn't, we need a guest room anyway! We'll put your bedroom here," he started running circles around the area and pointing excitedly. "And over here we'll put the washroom. Then I'll have a back door here so that you can go outside anytime you want!"

"I don't know what to say!" Kari took her hand away from her mouth. "This feels too good to be true!"

"And you know what else I got you?" he ran over to a wooden chest sitting next to the stack of wooden beams. "Look!"

Kari walked over to where he was as he opened a chest filled with linens. "I bought you a nice simple dress or two so you don't have to wear boys' clothes, and I got some other fabrics in case you want to make anything like sheets or curtains or anything!"

"I…"

"You don't need to say anything, Kari." He stood up and smiled. "I know it is hard for you to receive kindness, but that is only because you have been deprived of it for too long. It is time someone took care of you."

With that, he gave her a hug and sent her off to do her chores while he began to set up placements for the new room extension.

…

That evening the entire "family" sat around the dinner table discussing Matt's new idea. He hadn't told any of the boys until they had gotten home from mining, and now the commotion had risen. Everyone wanted to tell Matt their side of yesterday's story and everyone wanted a say in what happened with the extension and who got to stay home from the mine to build it. Kari only sat there quietly and watched everyone in their excitement about the new room. All the girl could think about was how happy she was in her situation which could have been a lot worse. Perhaps Matt was right; maybe she had been deprived of kindness for to long, and her step mother chasing her away from her home had given her the opportunity to feel loved and cared for.

This was the first dinner night where Kari felt all the attention wasn't on her, and so it felt more comfortable and she was just barely starting to feel like a normal member.

"Alright," Matt raised his arms in finality to their confusing dinner conversation. "Trade-offs will take place for who stays home to build, but for the first couple days I want to lay down the foundation." Everyone around him settled quietly. "I want those of you who have experience in building to help out and those who are not experienced to be just as thankful doing your mining duties. You know there is a lot of work to be done in the caves, especially with that new tunnel that Kouji recently discovered. I want him to lead the crew in that direction while I am helping down here."

"So which of us do you considered _skilled_ enough to help with the room?" Davis crossed his arms and leaned back.

"Not you." Matt scoffed.

"Hey! I have done plenty of stuff like that!" Davis complained, obviously wanting to stay home for more reasons than building the extension.

"I consider," Matt held up his finger. "Kouji, TK and Izzy the real builders," he began to say, but Kouji interrupted with,

"I don't want to stay here; I want to lead the tunnel crew."

"Kouji," shot an annoyed glance. "I _just_ said I wanted you to lead that crew."

"But I want to lead it the entire time."

"Kouji, we are trading off," Matt glared, "and if you stay home to help build you had better be happy about it. When you're gone I'll lead the tunnel crew."

Instead of rolling his eyes, Kouji only looked down and was silent the rest of dinner.

"So why did you come home so early?" Takato asked, shoving some food into his mouth.

"Yeah," Davis looked up in curiosity as if he hadn't noticed before that Matt had come home the night he left.

"I came home because I didn't think it right to leave Kari alone for too long. I felt the urge to come home and so I bought the lumber and returned."

"I'm sure glad you did." Izzy said with a sigh. "It makes me feel better about us going back to the mine while she's here. I think it is a good idea to always have someone at the house with her."

"Yeah," Henry chimed in. "I think that even if Kari wasn't here, it is beneficial to not leave the house unattended. I mean, what if we had been robbed? When I first hurt my leg, I found it really helpful to stay home. But now that we have Kari _and_ someone working on the house extension, things will go a lot smoother."

"Yes." Matt leaned back with a smile. "I am glad you all like the idea."

"How many rooms are you putting in the extension?" Izzy asked.

"It will probably just Kari's and another washroom."

"What if you made it a tad bigger and made it two stories so it is even with the rest of the cabin and put in a second room for a guest room. You never know when we will have another traveler stumble in. It might be nice to have extra beds!"

"What are we now, an inn?" Davis groaned.

"That isn't such a bad idea, Izzy." Matt nodded. "We never know when we might recruit more miners." After saying his last statement Matt noticed all the faces of his brothers turn dark at the thought of interrupting their union. "All I am saying is," he sighed, "we could always use another room!"

"So Kari," Henry suddenly turned the attention to the young lady sitting at the other end of the table. "Why don't you ask us some questions? We seem to know more about you than you do about us!"

"Well, I…" she blushed. "I don't know… I am not sure what I would ask! I suppose I am mainly interested in what brought you all here to mine together. Why is it so secluded? Why is your cottage hidden so deep within these mountains? Why is only Matt allowed to travel to the towns?"

"Perhaps I can answer some of those questions." Matt spoke up. All the others stared at him in surprise. The secrecy of their mining business was very important. Did he really trust her enough to tell her about it? "Do you know what kind of mine we work in, Kari?"

"Well, judging by the black dust I clean from your clothing every day, I assumed you worked in a coal mine." She guessed.

"Well Kari, though coal is involved, that is not what we mine in the mountains everyday."

Her eyes went wide, wondering what it could possibly be.  
"We mine diamonds. We mine them and hide them in a hidden safe. This land was owned by my father and is now owned by me. We live in secrecy so that no one will discover this place and try to take the wealth away from my family. I travel into the towns to sell a small portion of diamonds every month to bring back supplies we may need, but it is very dangerous there. I don't usually let any of the boys go because people ask questions or steal, and I don't trust anyone but myself with the secrets of my mine. Selling diamonds is a dangerous trade; that is how my father died."

Kari was very quiet. She felt glad that someone was finally telling her more specific things about what happened here, but was alarmed with the severity in their secrecy. Did Matt really own a diamond mine?

"You may wonder what we do with all the other diamonds. Well, that is for my knowledge. Of course any time one of these boys wants to leave, he is promised a portion of what he has helped collect. I trust every single one of these men." He smiled proudly at them. "And now hopefully they will help answer your first question in time. But for now, dinner is dismissed."

…

Time went on. Matt stayed the first few days and laid out a foundation while Kari kept the house in prime condition. Soon, TK and Izzy would trade off with Matt on who stayed home while Kouji led a group into the large new cavern he discovered. The cavern led deep into the mountain and soon they found that Matt's mine had much more than he had thought. This cavern led deep to uncover many more diamond collections and even more rare gems. As the weeks went on, the men uncovered more wealth, the house extension rose into a beautiful new addition, and Kari grew in familiarity with the rest. After a month had gone by, she was considered a permanent resident and was loved by each and every one of the boys. Miles away, however, the Duchess was still scheming.

"I want her to think," the tall, beautiful woman paced across her room, spreading her arms out as she monologued, "that she is safe and that I have given up on her. The next time I visit, and I myself _will_ visit, I want her to have absolutely no guard up. Tell me, fairy, does she suspect anything?"

The small fairy sat on her vanity with his knees tucked up against his chest. He was tired but glad for the air, for she had not taken him out of the little glass box in over two weeks. "I really can't say. I don't know those sort of things." He shrugged.

"Don't tell me what you _can't_ do, you useless little sprite!" she growled at him.

"Your ladyship," he held up his hands in defense, "if you want to know such things, you should steal yourself another fairy. I don't read minds, I am the _charisma_ fairy."

The duchess rolled her eyes and turned around to face her large, full-body length mirror. She smiled as she admired her own beauty. "Soon, fairy, soon I will be the fairest."

…

Izzy and Matt sat next to one another on the large rock as they waited for the other boys to finish putting their findings in the safe and their tools in the shed.

"TK should be done with the painting today." Izzy commented. "He didn't have much left."

"The extension did come together nicely." Matt sighed as he worked on wiping the coal off of his face.

"That it did."

"So Izzy," Matt set his cloth down on his lap and looked over at his old friend. "I know you're not going to like this but…"

Izzy laughed. "This has something to do with you going to town tomorrow, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Matt smiled guiltily.

"Look Matt, I am not mad about you not letting me go! I don't like the towns anyway, they give me headaches."

Matt laughed. "Well, I want to take Kouji along with me. He has been dying to go, and I think he is ready."

Izzy gave Matt a weary look. "Are you sure?"

"Iz, Kouji has been wit us for years and has not complained every time I told him he needs to stay. He could have left himself at any time but he hasn't. He's not like the rest; he has been caged too much in his life and needs to feel like he is free."

"Don't you think he might not return?" Izzy inquired cautiously.

"No, I don't think that at all, Izzy. He just needs to know he has options out there, even though his home is here with us. Plus, he loves these caves too much. But these boys aren't going to stay with me forever! I would love for them to all leave me eventually and start families of their own. Heck, I would love to have my _own_ family."

Izzy nudged him. "You have yourself a beautiful family right here."

"Yes," he chuckled. "I sure do. But Izzy…"

"I know, I know."

There was silence for a moment as they both stared off across the hills. The mine was near the top of one of the larger hills and at the roots of a very large mountain range. From where they were sitting they could see the forest for what seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of miles.

"Izzy,"

"Yeah?"

"There is one more thing…"

"What is it?"

"I… I am going to ask Kari if she wants to come along as well."

"WHAT?" Izzy actually raised his voice quite loudly this time and his echo traveled across the forest.

"I don't know. She will be safe with me, and she is too timid to say anything about the mine. Oh, you know how trustworthy she is, Izzy!"

"But WHY, Matt?"

"Because she has been with the boys for over a month and I know she would love an exciting trip. Plus, she hasn't seen any kind of life outside of being a slave to her step-mother."

"I don't know about this, Matt…" Izzy shook his head.

"I will ask her."

"Alright." He sighed loudly and looked up to see Kouji walking towards them.

"Have a seat, Kouji." Matt patted the rock next to himself. The young man looked at his elder curiously as he obviously had something to speak with him about. "This is about me going into town tomorrow."

"You're letting me go, aren't you?" he stated plainly.

"Yes I am."

Not many would have noticed, but Matt saw a very small trace of a smile appear on the corner of Kouji's mouth. It was practically non existent, but a glimmer of peace and satisfaction overtook his feature.

"I am also inviting Kari."

Kouji's eyes went wide but the rest of his element stayed the same. He didn't say much about the matter as he resolved it was completely Matt's judgment. He only commented that,

"She isn't my responsibility."

"You'll do your part in making sure she's alright."

…

As one could imagine, the entire group was shocked when Matt broke the news to the dinner table that he was inviting Kouji and Kari to come along. Most of the boys understood him inviting Kouji as he had wanted to go for many months now, but Kari?

"You are always saying," Davis slammed his hand on the table, "How dangerous it is for _us _to go to the towns, and now you are inviting KARI?"

"Davis." Matt glared. "My reasons for you not going are different from Kari. She is not a miner and sometimes a girl needs some space! Kari," the eldest turned the attention on the girl, "would you like to go to the towns?"

"Well," she spoke for herself, "actually I would love to go to the towns. I am always worrying about my step-mother coming back here, but she would have much more trouble finding me in a place where she doesn't think I am! Plus, I need to do some shopping for some of the home décor, and I don't trust Matt to pick those out." She winked.

"True that!" Henry exclaimed and everyone laughed knowing that Kari was much more of a decorator than anyone else. "And I think it is a splendid idea! Kari does all of our chores, it makes sense that she takes a trip and buys herself a treat! You should take her shopping to buy some dresses."

"Agreed." TK nodded. "She needs a break."

By the end of the evening, everyone had settled the discussion and soon all were asleep. Early the next morning the three of them were up before dawn and on their way to the towns. They rode in a cart pulled by one of their horses. Matt sat in the front while Kouji and Kari sat inside the cart leaning their backs against Matt's driver-seat. It was a long journey to the towns and since they had a lot of weight it would take most of the day to arrive. Matt always went to town on market week and would set up his own trading post which he had a permit for. Kouji and Kari were not required to stay with him while he sold his goods; they had been given an allowance of money to buy what they needed but they agreed to stay together for safety's sake.

Kari opened her eyes as the sun began to rise above the trees and illuminate her small area where she had been dozing. She looked to her side to see Kouji staring blankly at the road they were leaving behind.

"Good morning." He said without looking at her.

"Good morning Kouji." She replied. At this he turned to look at her and was almost tempted to smile at her when he saw her welcoming expression. "Kouji," Kari started to ask.

"Yes, Kari?"

The girl couldn't help but blush as Kouji said her name. It was so seldom that he would speak to her, let alone say her name, that it felt he was doing her a kind gesture.

"Are you upset that Matt is inviting me to the towns?"

"Of course not." He sighed. "Why should I take his offer personally? Our situations are too different to compare."

Finding his answer satisfactory Kari was silent.

"Are you upset he asked me to go?" he asked in return.

Kari, surprised at his initiation to another conversation, replied, "Of course not! I am glad I will not be going alone!"

"Fine, then." He looked back at the road.

"Kouji," Kari shifted her position to face him. He looked at her again. "What happened to you to make you such a closed person?"

His eyes narrowed. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes I do. You know everything there is to know about me but… I don't know what it is that has made you who you are, and I feel I might never know unless you tell me."

The dark-haired boy let all the air out of his lungs. "When I was eleven," he began. Kari's blood rushed to her head and her heart began pounding. She could hardly believe that he was going to tell her his story! "I lived in a small town close to the suburbs of the Imperial City. I lived with my sister who was a few years older than me, my parents and my twin brother. My life was innocent, you could say, like yours was before your father and brother died. But a massacre came to my village a few weeks after my birthday and a bandit-group came and razed it. I remember," he looked up and closed his eyes as if placing himself back into the memory, "my mother hid my brother and I under the bed and my sister in my closet. But when they came into my house I could hear them stomping around. They killed my mother and my father right there in our own house." He looked down and Kari saw tears in his eyes. She covered her mouth, hardly able to believe it.

"Kouji, I…"

"Oh, that's not all!" he looked up at her with anger now building. "They looked around the house for traces of life and when they looked under our bed they saw my brother. He was in front… and so they saw him but not me." He shook his head in shame. "They dragged him out and killed him too. I saw him fall to the ground and I stared at him, too afraid to come out again." Full streams of tears were now coming out of his eyes, but he didn't care. Kari was now starting to realize that these thoughts of anger must have been burning inside of him for a long time and they were just waiting for someone to listen to them.

"I wondered," he stared at her, as if asking her the question, "Why it was him they dragged out and not me."

"Your sister…" Kari began to ask.

"Oh, they found her too." He looked away. "But they didn't kill her. They dragged her out of our home and took her with them. She was fifteen at the time."

"I can't believe something so terrible could happen!" she exclaimed. Her anger was now forcing tears in her own eyes. "What kinds of people do those kinds of things?"

"Evil people…" Kouji replied in disgust. "After they had left I searched our village and found only one other living person remaining: Henry."

"Henry…" Kari gasped, realizing why the poor boy must have lost his memory.

"He suffered terribly while I dragged him around the countryside looking for my sister. At one point I left him in a small village while I ventured to the city where the bandits were said to have gone. I could not rest until I found her. I trained and taught myself to fight so that I could save her, and when I was sixteen, I found her."

"You did?" Kari's eyes lit.

"Yes." He stopped to wipe his face with his bandana that was tied around his neck. "I found her in a pile of bodies just outside of an abandoned bandit camp. Apparently, she had died and I wasn't fast enough to save her."

"Kouji…" Kari put her hand on his shoulder and he jerked in surprise. "It is not your fault, and it is _not_ in your hands to save your family from such a terrible thing! You are lucky you are alive!"

"How can I be glad I am alive when nothing good came out of it?" he shot back.

"Well, what happened with Henry?"

Kouji let out another loud burst of air. "I went back to find him in the town where I left him. He had made friends with Davis there who invited him to come live with him in the woods. But by the time I had gotten back to Henry, he no longer remembered me. He was thankful I showed up and that I knew who he was though, and he asked Davis if I could come along to the forest. Davis introduced me to Matt who I saw as a noble and trustworthy man, and so I went with him. So, for the past three and a half years, I have been working in the mines, trying to overcome what I have been through."

The rest of the journey was mostly uneventful. Some conversation took place, but for the majority of the time, it was silent. Kouji and Matt took turns driving (of which Matt was quite thankful) and so Kari's company for the long trip was somewhat varied.

By the evening they arrived in the towns and Matt drove to the Inn where he always stayed when he went into town. He knew the owner and so had his father, and so two rooms were already set up for the three of them. The town (or more accurately, the City) was jam-packed. People were everywhere, and even at nightfall! As they entered the place, Kari had never seen so many people before! Kouji stared at the world around him. He was so different after those three years; they had calmed him down to be more of a reserved person than an angry and demanding traveler. He hated the world but hoped that this trip might show him something redeeming: something that proved there was still hope left in the outside world.

…

Story going in a strange direction!? Oh you have no idea. Things are about to twist even more. If you think you know how it is going to end up, you are wrong.

Please review, it is very encouraging.

And sorry for any sap or drama; traumatic past always makes for good story telling.


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